Socioeconomic Status and Health in America

The documentary stated that over that 47 million Americans do not have healthcare coverage. 7% of Americans reports very good to excellent health. 37% of lower income Americans has poor health (California Newsreel, 2008). The middle class numbers are not too far from the lower class. Good health decreases significantly as the socioeconomic class status gets lower. “Low income increases one’s exposure to a host of health risks, such as crime, poor housing, and poor nutrition. Conversely, sick people both tend to work less and tend to accrue medical bills, thus lowering their household earnings and accumulated wealth. Therefore, low income can damage health, and sickness can lead to the loss of income” (Peter Muennig, 2008). This increases the

As Mary Turner stated, the people who live on the east side of Louisville have more resources available to them because they are more affluent. She is correct, the higher the class of an individual, the more resources they have. “Social class comprises both an individual’s material resources and an individual’s perceived rank within the social hierarchy. Social class determines many aspects of material life, from the social activities individuals engage in (Bourdieu, 1985) to vulnerabilities for health- and mood-related problems” (Adler et al., 1994) (Kraus, Piff, and Keltner, 2009). Their living conditions and community are night and day when comparing the two. A third of Mary’s community has not received their high school diploma, and over 30% live below the poverty level (California Newsreel, 2008). The food consumed by Mary compared to Jim is implausible. Mary lives on a $200.00 a month food budget, while Jim’s spares no expense to ensure him and his family eats healthy. 12% of the individuals in Mary’s community are unemployed (California Newsreel, 2008). A community cannot thrive off of those current conditions. If you compare the language, stature, mannerisms, education and occupation of the four individuals, Jim and Tondra have the best chances of living a long healthy life. And Jim will live the longest based on the statistics set forth in this presentation. Based on the wealth-health gradient, it is easy to predict the outcomes of the individuals in Louisville and communities in